Sabres re-sign checking-line forward Malenstyn to 6-year, $17.5 million contract before free agency

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Sabres re-signed checking-line forward Beck Malenstyn to a six-year, $17.5 million contract on Monday, retaining the player two days before he was eligible to hit the free agent market.

The average salary of $2.9 million more than doubles the $1.35 million Malenstyn made in each of his first two seasons in Buffalo. And it represents the value the 28-year-old brought to the team in a secondary role.

Last year, Malenstyn set a Sabres’ single-season record with 282 hits and finished second on the team with 75 blocked shots. He scored a career-high seven goals as part of a 14-point season.

The sixth-year NHL player spent his first four seasons in Washington and was acquired by Buffalo in a trade that sent a second-round pick to the Capitals at the 2024 draft.